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Al-Tawhid Brigade
The al-Tawhid Brigade (Arabic: لواء التوحيد, romanized: Liwa al-Tawhid, lit. 'Brigade of monotheism'; named after Tawhid, the "oneness of God,") was an armed Islamist insurgent group involved in the Syrian Civil War.
The al-Tawhid Brigade was formed in 2012. Reportedly backed by Qatar, al-Tawhid was considered one of the biggest groups in northern Syria, dominating most of the insurgency around Aleppo.
Its leader Abdul Qader Saleh was killed in November 2013 in a Syrian Air Force airstrike.
The al-Tawhid Brigade was initially founded by Islamist groups, and followed an ideology similar to that of the Muslim Brotherhood. Agence France-Presse and Al-Monitor journalists described the unit as being affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. According to As-Safir, the al-Tawhid Brigade even operated as an "armed wing of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood" due to close connections between leaders of the rebel group and Brotherhood figures. However, other sources argued that the al-Tawhid Brigade simply accepted support from anyone who was somewhat ideologically similar to itself, including Salafists. Based on a Saudi, anti-Assad source, researcher Mark Tomass described the al-Tawhid Brigade as "Salafi-Jihadist" despite it being "classified as moderate". In late 2013, the rebel group co-signed a joint statement calling for Sharia law and rejecting the authority of the Syrian National Coalition.
Originally, al-Tawhid was composed of four subunits, the Mountain Knights Brigade, the Darat Izza Brigade, the Free North Brigade, and the Aleppo Shahba Battalions. The Mountain Knights Brigade operated in the southwest of Aleppo Governorate near the border with the Idlib Governorate and the city of Atarib. The Darat Izza Brigade was named after the town of Darat Izza and operated in the western part of the city of Aleppo. The Free North Brigade was the largest subunit of the Tawhid Brigade and present in the Kilis Corridor. It took over the leadership of several subunits in al-Bab to the east of Aleppo.
By March 2013, the al-Tawhid Brigade had become active in northeastern and eastern Syria as well, where one of its representatives, Sheikh Saif, tried to set up a loose coalition of Islamist groups known as the "Islamic Front". Around June 2013, the militia was reorganised into nearly 30 sub-factions. By June, the rebel group had 38 "regiments" and about 11,000 fighters as well as 10,000 "administrators".
In September 2013, the Supreme Military Council's head Salim Idris brokered a merger between the Conquest Brigade and the al-Tawhid Brigade, with the two units holding a ceremony to facilitate their unification. They claimed to have a united strength of 13,000 fighters across all of Syria.
In November 2013, the Elite Islamic Battalion left the Tawhid Brigade.
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Al-Tawhid Brigade
The al-Tawhid Brigade (Arabic: لواء التوحيد, romanized: Liwa al-Tawhid, lit. 'Brigade of monotheism'; named after Tawhid, the "oneness of God,") was an armed Islamist insurgent group involved in the Syrian Civil War.
The al-Tawhid Brigade was formed in 2012. Reportedly backed by Qatar, al-Tawhid was considered one of the biggest groups in northern Syria, dominating most of the insurgency around Aleppo.
Its leader Abdul Qader Saleh was killed in November 2013 in a Syrian Air Force airstrike.
The al-Tawhid Brigade was initially founded by Islamist groups, and followed an ideology similar to that of the Muslim Brotherhood. Agence France-Presse and Al-Monitor journalists described the unit as being affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. According to As-Safir, the al-Tawhid Brigade even operated as an "armed wing of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood" due to close connections between leaders of the rebel group and Brotherhood figures. However, other sources argued that the al-Tawhid Brigade simply accepted support from anyone who was somewhat ideologically similar to itself, including Salafists. Based on a Saudi, anti-Assad source, researcher Mark Tomass described the al-Tawhid Brigade as "Salafi-Jihadist" despite it being "classified as moderate". In late 2013, the rebel group co-signed a joint statement calling for Sharia law and rejecting the authority of the Syrian National Coalition.
Originally, al-Tawhid was composed of four subunits, the Mountain Knights Brigade, the Darat Izza Brigade, the Free North Brigade, and the Aleppo Shahba Battalions. The Mountain Knights Brigade operated in the southwest of Aleppo Governorate near the border with the Idlib Governorate and the city of Atarib. The Darat Izza Brigade was named after the town of Darat Izza and operated in the western part of the city of Aleppo. The Free North Brigade was the largest subunit of the Tawhid Brigade and present in the Kilis Corridor. It took over the leadership of several subunits in al-Bab to the east of Aleppo.
By March 2013, the al-Tawhid Brigade had become active in northeastern and eastern Syria as well, where one of its representatives, Sheikh Saif, tried to set up a loose coalition of Islamist groups known as the "Islamic Front". Around June 2013, the militia was reorganised into nearly 30 sub-factions. By June, the rebel group had 38 "regiments" and about 11,000 fighters as well as 10,000 "administrators".
In September 2013, the Supreme Military Council's head Salim Idris brokered a merger between the Conquest Brigade and the al-Tawhid Brigade, with the two units holding a ceremony to facilitate their unification. They claimed to have a united strength of 13,000 fighters across all of Syria.
In November 2013, the Elite Islamic Battalion left the Tawhid Brigade.